The ME and the Dead Archaeologist
by Longing for Oblivion
Summary: Before becoming a ME Peyton lived in DC, working with Bones and Booth at the Jeffersonian. When an old friend of her is killed and things get weird Bones and Booth come to NYC to help finding the truth. Please R&R! PAC and BonesBooth
1. A weekend to enjoy

**Discs.: I don't own the shows!**

**A/N: Another story I've planned now for quite a while...**

**

* * *

**

The ME and the dead Archaeologist

_1. A weekend to enjoy_

Peyton had just finished her last autopsy for the day and decided to head for Mac's office and talk with him before leaving.

When she had arrived at her destination she couldn't help but smile as she saw Mac sitting at his desk totally lost in the case-file he was reading.

After simply watching him for a few minutes Peyton knocked against the door-frame not wanting to startle him by sneaking up on him. As he looked up her smile widened and she walked further into the room.

"You got a moment?" She asked when she was standing next to his desk.

Mac smiled at her and got up while replying :

"Sure, what's the matter?"

He lifted his right hand to her face and brushed a strand of hair out of her face, while resting his left on her hip, giving her a questioning glance. Peyton rested her hands on his neck and said :

"Well, I was wondering if you already have plans for the weekend."

Mac chuckled and told her :

"You mean beside spending time with you?"

Peyton grinned.

"Mac, don't do that, okay? I'm trying to be serious here..." She paused for a few seconds,

"So, do you have plans?"

He smiled and gave her a soft kiss then he stated :

"No, not really, why?"

"Because I have made some plans for the weekend, considering that we both have the entire weekend off and all..."

After kissing her once more he wanted to know :

"What sort of plans?"

Peyton only smiled, remaining silent for a few minutes.

"Well, that's top secret."

Hearing that Mac sighed and stated, a bright smile on his lips :

"Why am I not surprised?" With that he leaned in and kissed her tenderly.

_Meanwhile :_

Flack had already been almost out of the office when he had remembered that Mac was still waiting for a case-file from him, so he had returned to his desk, got the file and hurried to get to the crime lab.

While he headed up the stairs a sigh escaped his mouth, he should have thought about this earlier, but he had simply been too busy with writing his report.

When he had reached Mac's office he couldn't help but grin due to the scene in front of him. Mac was holding Peyton in his arms, kissing her tenderly. Well, it wasn't surprising him all that much, considering that he had indeed noticed how happy Mac had recently seemed.

Realizing that he should probably make himself known before one of them noticed him, he cleared his throat, causing them to turn to look at him.

Peyton blushed and bit her bottom lip for a few seconds, then she looked at Mac and stated :

"I'll see you later."

Mac let go of her and she went to leave. As she passed him she said smiling :

"Good night."

"You too, Peyton."

After she had left Flack remembered the file in his hands and told Mac :

"Well, I got the file you asked for." He walked up to his friend and handed him the file.

"Thanks." Mac replied taking a quick glance through the file.

"You know, I was already wondering why you seem so happy recently, but I guess I got my answer..." Flack couldn't help but grin.

"Guess so..." Mac looked at him, eyebrows slightly raised, a smile on his lips.

"Does anybody else know?"

"Eh, not yet."

Flack just nodded, knowing that Mac prefered keeping his private life as private as possible.

"Well, I gotta go...Have a nice weekend..." Flack stated turning to leave.

"I'm pretty sure that I will..."

Flack grinned and mumbled on his way out of Mac's office :

"I bet..."

****************************************************************

As Mac turned toward his desk to put the file down he shook slightly his head, not having missed that last comment of his friend, but he didn't really mind. He thought for a moment before deciding to leave the rest of paperwork for the following week.

_At Mac's place, 23 minutes later :_

Mac couldn't help but smile as he walked quietly into the bedroom. Seeing Peyton sitting up he sighed.

"Sorry for waking you up."

"You didn't - I wasn't sleeping..."

He could tell by her voice that she was smiling. A moment later Mac went to the adjoining bathroom to get a little refreshed and change clothes.

When he laid down next to her a few minutes later Peyton snuggled as close as possible to him, resting her head on his chest.

It didn't take long for him to get lost in his thoughts once more.

After a while Peyton straightened up and gave him a thoughtful look.

"Are you mad?"

Mac sat up as well and lifted his one hand to her face, caressing softly her cheek.

"No...Why would I be mad?"

Peyton let out a soft sigh, staring down.

"Because of Flack..."

"Listen Peyton, like I already said - I want to be with you, I want this to work and you made pretty clear how unhappy you are about keeping our relationship a secret. We talked about it and I told you that I'm okay with it if people at work know about us." He removed his hand and gave her a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Well, deciding that you're okay with it doesn't mean that you also feel comfortable with going public with this..."

"Peyton, look at me...You were right that one evening when you said I was a very private person, but we're seeing each other now for about a half year already and we can't keep our relationship a secret forever. After all, we're working in a building full of investigators and it's actually quite surprising that nobody figured it out earlier - or commented on our relationship."

Looking finally back at him she smiled for a moment before stating :

"Okay...I just wanted to make sure..."

Mac returned the smile and replied after some time of thinking :

"Well, it's already quite late so how about getting some sleep?"

"That's a good idea."

_Early the next morning :_

"Come on, Mac..." Peyton stated for what felt like the hundredth time to Mac.

"It's not going to do either of us any good to hurry that much." He replied once again, taking a sip of his coffee, before focusing back on the _New York Times _and his oatmeal.

She just sighed and got up not able to sit still for any longer.

"Mac...We've got plans, remember?"

"Maybe I'd eat a little faster if you told me what exactly your plan is."

"Nice try, really, but like I mentioned before it's a surprise - my lips are sealed. All I'm gonna tell you is that we're gonna spend the weekend out of town. So hurry a li'l bit up."

When she realized that Mac was not even thinking about eating a little faster she gave up and left the kitchen. Of course she knew that he was only taking so much time for his breakfast to tease her, but she was already up for more than two hours and couldn't wait to leave.

Sitting down on the couch Peyton sighed, she had seen it coming that Mac would do this - which had also been the reason why she had made sure to get up earlier than necessary. It was only short after eight and therefore they still had some time.

_About fifteen minutes later :_

"Are you finally finished?" Peyton called heading to the bedroom.

"Well, if you would simply tell me where we're going I would probably need less time..." Mac replied, watching as she leaned against the door-frame, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

Taking a look at him she smiled :

"Those jeans and the sweater are just perfect...Really. Can we go now?"

Mac couldn't help but grin.

"Why so impatient?"

"I've got certain plans and the sooner we leave the more time I got to put them in action."

He chuckled as he saw the determination in her eyes.

"Well, I'm done..."

Peyton smiled cheerfully and turned for the door.

After they had gotten into the car and Mac had fastened his seat-belt Peyton pulled something out of the pocket of her jacket and ordered :

"Turn around."

For a moment he just looked questioning at her before he surrendered. A few seconds later she blindfolded him with a scarf.

"You're really determined to keep me from finding out where we're going, huh?"

"Exactly. After all, otherwise it won't be a surprise anymore, now would it?"

"Probably not."

A moment later she started the engine.

_Around 12 pm :_

When Peyton stopped the car she couldn't help but smile, happy about the fact that they had finally reached their destination.

After removing the scarf from Mac's face her smile widened and she got out of the car.

"So, where are we?" He asked giving her a curious glance.

"Catskills."

He only nodded for a moment and took a look around.

"I came to the conclusion that you should get your head free and relax a bit, without work getting in the way." Peyton grinned mischievously.

When she looked at Mac her grin widened as she saw him staring at his cell phone, a frown on his face.

"It's not gonna work, Mac...In this area you will never get service - I made sure of that when I planned this little trip."

"You gotta be kidding...I mean..."

"Nope, I'm not kidding. In case of an emergency there's a phone in the house - but nobody will disturb us here."

Mac just shook his head for a moment, before he decided to get their stuff out of the car.

After they had entered the house Peyton turned to look at him, a smile on her face.

Pulling her into a tight embrace Mac wanted to know :

"I assume you're not gonna tell me what exactly you've planned for the weekend?"

Wrapping her arms around his neck she chuckled for a moment.

"First I'm gonna make some lunch and then...Well, that's gonna be a surprise."

With that she kissed him, before heading to the kitchen.

_About 50 minutes later :_

"Wow, that was delicious..." Mac stated, smiling at Peyton.

"I'm glad you liked it."

Peyton gave him a thoughtful look, wondering where to start with her plan of making Mac relax. There were so many things she wanted to do and probably not enough time for all of it. After a moment a grin crossed her face when she had suddenly an idea...

_Tbc_

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please take the time to review!**


	2. A surprising call

**A/N: Here's a li'l update...**

**

* * *

**

The ME and the dead Archaeologist

_2. A surprising phone call_

It was not even 5 in the morning when Mac's cell phone started ringing. Letting out a sigh he sat up and grabbed the item from the nightstand and answered the call.

When he had hung up he sighed once more and turned to look at Peyton who had sat up next to him, a smile on her face.

"I got a ..." He started just as her cell phone rang and they shared a grin.

"Well, I'll get the coffee-maker ready." He said and gave her a soft kiss onto her forehead.

Then he got up and dressed, while Peyton was on the phone, before heading to his kitchen.

Taking a seat at the kitchen-table a soft smile appeared on his face as he heard the water of the shower running. For a moment he thought about joining Peyton, but Stella and Flack were waiting at the crime scene so he should get there as fast as possible.

While on his way over to the crime scene Mac realized relieved that even though it was Monday morning there was barely traffic, but then again it was still very early, so it was no real surprise.

After a while his mind went back to the past weekend and his smile widened. One thing was for sure Peyton had most definitely managed to distract him from work, just like she had planned to do...

When he arrived at the scene he took a deep breath and put on a serious facial expression, before getting out of his car.

"Hey Mac..." Stella greeted when he walked up to her.

"How was your weekend?" Mac wanted to know.

"Luckily it was quiet...How 'bout your's?"

"It was great."

"You know, I was trying to call ya..."

Mac raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I was outta town, my cell had no service...Was it anything important?"

"Nope." Stella stated and smiled at him.

"So, what do ya know about the vic?"

"Not much...However, he was shot into the head once and at least twice into the chest, but I'm sure Peyton will be able to tell you more concerning how Mr Peters died."

Mac nodded.

"Any witnesses?"

"None that we know of." Flack replied as he met them halfway.

"You already have a suspect?" Mac asked.

"Yeah, Emilio García, a drug dealer...But I need some hard evidence before arresting him." Flack paused for a moment,

"The guy has a goddamn good lawyer."

"Alright..." Mac said and they started processing the scene.

After a while Stella gave him a concerned glance.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?" Mac looked up from the bullet casing he had just found.

"I'm just asking 'cause it seems like you have trouble moving your left arm..."

"It's nothing..." He mumbled, not really willing to talk about that topic.

Stella frowned and looked doubtful at him, but remained silent and focused her attention back onto the task at hand.

_Around 9:30 at the morgue :_

Peyton had just finished the autopsy of Mr Peters when the phone on her desk started ringing. Taking a look at the display she frowned, not recognizing the number of the caller.

"Driscoll." She answered the call eventually.

"Hey Peyton..." A male voice greeted cheerfully.

It took her a moment to figure out whose voice it was, but then she smiled and replied :

"Aaron? My God, it's been ages..." She paused for a moment than she asked,

"How are you?"

The man chuckled and stated :

"Yeah, it's been really quite a while. Well, I'm great...You?"

"I can't complain."

"Listen, there's something I need to talk with you about..."

"Oh, really? What is it?" Peyton wanted to know.

"It's a li'l bit complicated, so I'd prefer talking with you in person about it instead of discussing the issue on the phone."

"OK...Wait, you're in New York?"

"Yeah...So, how about we have lunch together and talk?"

"Sounds great..."

* * *

Mac flinched and cursed, a pained expression on his face. Securing the gun and putting it away he took some deep breaths willing the pain away.

"Hey Mac, is everything okay?" He heard Hawkes ask from behind.

"Eh, yeah...I'm fine..." Mac lied and looked at his colleague.

"Well, if that was true you won't have trouble with the recoil of the gun." Hawkes countered,

"So, what's the matter with your arm?"

Mac let out a heavy sigh and replied reluctantly :

"I dislocated my shoulder during the weekend...But it's no big deal..."

"You should probably see a doctor..."

"That's not gonna be necessary." Mac stated firmly, not willing to say anything else about it,

"Anyways, I was able to determine what the murder-weapon was..." He indicated the gun in front of him.

Before Hawkes was able to say anything in response Mac's cell phone started ringing and he hurried to answer the call.

"Taylor."

"I just wanted to ask how it's going." Flack said.

"Well, we know what the murder-weapon is..."

"Great, I'll get a warrant for García's apartment, maybe we're gonna be lucky and find the gun there - and meanwhile we get him to the station to question him."

"Alright, I meet you there."

_30 minutes later, interrogation-room :_

"So, Emilio...Why did you kill Mr Peters?" Flack asked after he and Mac had entered the room,

"Wasn't he willing to pay enough for your drugs?"

"Damn it! I didn't kill anyone!" García yelled,

"And that's all I'm gonna say until my lawyer arrives." A stubborn expression appeared on his face.

"Well, he's already on his way over." Flack stated calmly and took a seat at the table.

Mac remained quiet, observing García wordlessly.

After a few minutes the silence was disrupted by the ringing of Flack's cell phone.

"What's up?" He answered the call and listened for a while,

"That's great, call me when you're done."

Just as he hung up the door opened and a man in a dark-blue suit entered the room.

"Perfect timing..." Flack stated as the guy took a seat next to García.

"Is it correct that you accuse my client of homocide?"

"Yes."

"I assume you have witnesses that saw Mr García killing this man?" The lawyer asked.

"Nope...But we have hard evidence against him and he has no alibi."

"I didn't kill this scumbag, you son-of-a..." García started, but was interrupted by his lawyer.

"Mr García, as your lawyer I recommend you remain silent."

"Whatever..." García glared at Flack.

"Well, you don't have to talk with us, considering that we have found a gun in your apartment you're doomed anyways." Flack paused for a few seconds,

"However, if that gun turns out to be the murder-weapon a confession might get you a deal with the prosecution..."

A moment later his cell phone started ringing once more.

"You're already done?" Flack asked the caller surprised and while he listened a grin appeared on his face.

"Guess what? Your gun **is **the weapon that killed Mr Peters."

* * *

Mac couldn't help but sigh frustrated when he walked into the morgue to talk with Peyton. He simply couldn't shake the feeling that it was way too easy to prove that García had killed Peters. But on the other hand he had made a confession...

"Hey Peyton..."

She turned around and smiled at him.

"Mac...I heard you already caught the killer?"

Returning the smile he replied :

"Yeah, we caught him and he confessed everything. Apparently it was all about the money."

"How's your shoulder?" Peyton asked after a moment of silence, giving him a concerned glance.

"It still hurts a bit..."

"You know, I'm really sorry, right?"

"Of course I know that." Mac assured as he thought once more about how he had injured his arm.

_Flashback :_

"You're kidding, right?" Mac asked, giving Peyton a questioning glance, eye-brows raised.

"Nope, I'm absolutely serious about this." She replied grinning widely while she put her ice-skates on.

A moment later she hold up a pair of skates.

"These should fit."

"Do you seriously believe that the ice is thick enough to carry both of us?" He looked sceptical at her.

"Absolutely." Peyton paused, then she smiled mischievously and teased,

"You're not afraid of learning how to ice-skate, now are you?"

"Not at all." Mac mumbled in response.

"Good, then put those skates on."

He let out a sigh, knowing that there was no way she would change her mind about this so he surrendered.

_End flashback _

Well, it had come like it had to come - he had lost balance and when had hit the ice with his shoulder.

"So, how about we get out of here and have lunch?" Mac asked after a moment.

"I'd love to, but unfortunately I already have plans for lunch." Peyton smiled apologetic at him.

"Really?"

"Eh, yeah...An old friend called earlier and said there's something he needed to talk about with me." She paused,

"We haven't seen each other in years and it sounded important so I said okay..."

"Alright..." He paused and seeing the surprise on her face he asked,

"What is it?"

"Nothing..." She stated and smiled.

"Come on, Peyton...I know it's not 'nothing'..."

Peyton sighed and said reluctantly :

"Don't you wanna know who it is?"

Hearing that Mac couldn't help chuckle, causing her to frown. After a moment he told her :

"Nope, why would I want to know?"

"I dunno...Simply out of pure curiosity?"

"Well, okay - who is the guy you're gonna have lunch with?" Mac asked, a huge grin on his face.

Peyton sighed.

"You don't take me serious at all, do ya?"

"I take you serious, it's just I don't mind that you're gonna have lunch with an old friend...After all, I trust you, so I don't really see how this would be a big deal."

She remained silent for a moment then she agreed :

"You're right...It's really no big deal..."

"So, I guess, I'll see ya when you're back from lunch?"

"Yeah." Peyton smiled cheerful at him and a moment later he went to leave to get some of his paperwork done.

* * *

Tbc

**A/N: Hope you liked it! I dunno how long it will take me to update this one again considering that I need to work on some other stories first...Anyways, please do me a favor and take the time to REVIEW!**


	3. A new case

**A/N: Here's chapter 3, have fun reading!**

**

* * *

**

The ME and the Dead Archaeologist

_3. A new case_

Entering the hotel-room Peyton couldn't help but yawn considering that it was in the middle of the night and she was really exhausted.

"Hey...What do you know about the victim?" She asked as she met Stella on the way to the bedroom.

"Well, his name is Michael Andrews, checked in last night...Everything looks like robbery gone wrong."

Taking a look at the mess in the room Peyton nodded in agreement, but the moment they entered the bedroom she frowned as she saw the victim. A sigh escaped her mouth and she turned around while pulling her cell phone out of the pocket of her jacket.

"You're okay?" Stella asked.

"Yeah..." Peyton replied as she dialed a number and a moment later she stated,

"Hey Sheldon, sorry for calling at this time but could you do me a favor and come to the Chelsea Hotel?" She listened for a moment then she added,

"Thanks."

"Is there a reason why you call Hawkes and ask him to come here?" She heard Mac's voice from behind.

Turning around Peyton smiled at him and explained :

"I knew the victim, so I decided to save us all some time and don't get involved into the investigation on this one at all." Seeing Mac nod she turned once more to look at the victim and frowned,

"Can I talk with you for a moment?"

"Sure." Mac replied, a concerned expression on his face.

Returning to the living-room of the suite where it was quieter Mac gave her a questioning glance and wanted to know :

"What is it?"

"Well, like I already said - I knew the victim...And his name wasn't Michael Andrews - it was Aaron Carter."

"Are you sure? After all, his passport is saying clearly Michael Andrews and so does every single official paper about him...Could it be that he simply looked like..."

"No Mac." She interrupted,

"Aaron was the friend I had lunch with today - and even though we haven't seen each other in years I can say with absolute certainty that he's the guy who was killed."

"What reason would he have to use a false name?"

"I dunno..." Peyton stated reluctantly, letting her shoulders hang.

Mac nodded for a moment than he suggested :

"Why don't you go home and get some sleep, after all there's currently no other case and you certainly could need some sleep..."

"Okay..." She agreed after a moment of thinking, then she added,

"See you later." With that she went to leave.

* * *

Mac was slightly worried about Peyton, after all, he knew that she won't have mentioned that she had known this guy if she wasn't absolutely sure of being right. Therefore he hoped that she was going to be okay considering the circumstances...

Hearing someone approaching he turned to look at whoever it was. Seeing that it was Hawkes he told himself that he had to focus on the case right now instead of worrying about Peyton - even though it was sortta difficult for him to do so.

Deciding to give Hawkes some time for a first examination of the body he went to talk with Flack.

"Hey..." The homocide Detective stated as he saw Mac approaching.

"What can you tell me about the victim?" Mac asked.

Flack couldn't help but frown for a moment then he replied :

"Actually I've got _**nothing **_on the guy..."

"Really?"

"Yeah..." Flack confirmed, seeming not happy at all.

"Well, he might have been using a false identity."

"What makes you think that?" Flack gave him a surprised look.

"Peyton said she knew him - and that his real name was Aaron Carter."

Flack nodded and mused :

"You want me to do a li'l background check on that guy?"

"Exactly...After all, that could help us figuring out why he was killed like that..."

"Alright, I'll see what I can find and give ya a call."

Watching him leave Mac thought for a moment then he turned around. When he had reached Hawkes he wanted to know :

"What did you find so far?"

"Well he died approximately around 3:45, however, I can't tell ya what actually killed him until after the autopsy, considering his numerous severe injuries...But I can say with absolute certainty that he was tortured before he was murdered."

Mac nodded in agreement taking another look at the body.

_Autopsy, 8:00 a.m. :_

Mac had just gotten off the phone with Flack, who had informed him of the fact that the victim had really been Aaron Carter, when Hawkes called and told him that he was done with his examination.

As Mac was walking up to Hawkes he checked his watch. He still had about half an hour 'til Peyton was going to come back to the lab.

Stopping next to the stretcher that was occupied by Aaron Carter he wanted to know :

"I heard you were done with the autopsy?"

Hawkes stopped writing down some notes and looked at Mac.

"Yeah..."

"So, what killed him?"

"He died due to a heart-attack."

"Wasn't Mr Carter a bit young for a heart-attack?" Mac gave him a questioning look.

"Well, under normal circumstances he most definitely was in a way too good physical shape as to have one. However, due to the extreme torture he had gone through prior to the actual killing his heart muscle had been weakend too much to keep functioning properly." Hawkes paused for a moment,

"He had basically been tortured in any way possible...The killer broke his fingers with a pair of pliers - Lindsay is already busy with trying to find a type that could have left the marks I found on his fingers." He looked at Mac and seeing him nod he continued,

"Furthermore I found water in his lungs, which could be an indicator for water-boarding...He had also three different kinds of burn marks. Some seem to have been caused by an intense, open flame - maybe a blow-lamp, others were caused by electricity..."

"A taser?" Mac asked.

"Nope, a taser won't have the power to cause these wounds..." Hawkes pointed at some of Carter's injuries,

"I tend more to say whoever did this used the battery of a car."

"What about the third kind?"

"Chemical burns - Danny works on the samples of those wounds to determine what kind of chemical agent was used, but it was most definitely a barely deluted acid. Carter had also some deep lacerations, causing him to slowly bleed out." He sighed,

"All these factors added up to the heart-attack that led to his death. I also found a lot of defensive wounds - he clearly fought against his killer with all his strength."

_At Mac's office, 8:38 a.m. :_

Hearing someone knock against his office-door Mac looked up and couldn't help but smile when he saw that it was Peyton.

"Hey..." She stated a smile on her lips.

Watching her walking up to his desk Mac wondered if she had actually gotten some sleep after heading back home the past night.

"You're okay?" He wanted to know after a moment.

"Yeah...And before you ask I already took a look at Sheldon's autopsy report."

"I assumed you would do that..." Mac said, giving her a concerned glance, then he asked,

"So, what can you tell me about Carter?"

Peyton sat down at his desk and after taking a deep breath she started :

"Well, we met back at college...But after a couple of months he changed his mind and started studying anthropology and archaeology instead of medicine. After college we met once more when I was working for some time at the Jeffersonian before I went back to New York. I hadn't heard from Aaron in years before he called yesterday..."

"Was there a particular reason why he called after all that time?"

"There was something he wanted to talk about with me." Peyton replied.

Mac looked questioning at her, but decided not to push her to tell him about whatever Aaron Carter had wanted to talk about with her.

"What do you know about his work?" He changed the topic slightly.

She sighed softly.

"He was doing a lot of different things...Never being able to stick to one thing for more than a year - well, with the exception of archaeology. As far as I know he worked for the Jeffersonian Institute, but I don't know for sure."

He only nodded.

"Did he mention feeling threatened by someone?"

"No." Peyton replied a little too fast, causing Mac to frown.

"Peyton?"

She avoided looking directly into his eyes, making it that much more obvious to him that she was trying to keep something from him.

"Mac, do you have a moment?" Lindsay's voice was heard.

"Sure..." Mac stated, then he said while getting up,

"We talk later, Peyton."

Seeing her nod he followed Lindsay away from his office.

_Fifteen minutes later :_

Returning to his office he couldn't help but frown noticing immediately that Peyton was gone. After a moment of thinking he went to search for her.

Coming to the conclusion that she had probably decided to get started with working while he was busy he chose to head to autopsy first.

Just as he passed the break-room he heard her call his name. Stopping and turning around he saw Peyton getting up from the table in the break-room, a cup of coffee in her hands.

"Have you been looking for me?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, I thought it might take a while 'til Lindsay's done with what she wanted to tell or show you, so I decided to get some coffee..."

He gave her a careful look, noticing once more the dark circles under her eyes he wanted to know :

"Are you really okay?"

Letting her shoulders hang she smiled weakly at him and replied :

"Yeah...I'm just tired, that's all."

"How about we head back to my office and you tell me what you and Carter talked about during lunch?"

Peyton sighed, then she stated :

"Okay..."

Mac knew that whatever they had talked about was something she didn't want to tell him, but considering that Carter had not just been murdered but had also been tortured and the fact that he had apparently been scared of something there was no way for her to avoid telling him.

As they entered his office he closed the door behind them and said :

"So, what were you talking about?"

"We talked about work, about old times, about what we have been up to since we've last seen each other...Nothing of much relevance - at least nothing that would explain what happened to him."

Mac couldn't help but sigh.

"Listen Peyton, I can tell that's not everything...I mean, he came to the US two days ago, very late in the night, using a fake identity. As far as we know you were the only one he met here in New York..." Mac gave her a look,

"Whatever you talked about might have to do with his death. Maybe you're not even aware of its relevance..."

"He told me about his work in Africa...Something for the Jeffersonian." Peyton shrugged,

"But he didn't mention any details, or what exactly he was doing - just that he was working at a dig there. He didn't even mention where in Africa."

"Okay..." Mac thought for a moment,

"Well, if that's everything you talked about - or what you want to tell me - you can go now...After all, I can't keep ya from working all day, right?"

Peyton couldn't help but chuckle.

"Right, even though I won't mind staying a little longer, the bodies at autopsy are unfortunately not examining themselves..."

She grinned at him and a smile appeared on his face.

"How about we have dinner tonight?"

"Sounds great to me." Peyton agreed, her eyes sparkling.

"Alright, tell me when you're done."

Nodding she stated :

"Will do. See you later." With that she smiled once more at him before turning around and leaving.

* * *

Tbc

**A/N: Well, I know the end was kinda crappy, but I hope you liked it nonetheless...Please do me a favor and review - I'd like to know your opinion on this one and if there is actually interest in the story ('cause I need to know whether you want some updates soon or if it has time 'til after X-Mas)...**


	4. Just a coincidence?

**The ME and the Dead Archaeologist**

_4. Just a coincidence?_

Waiting for Peyton to get out of the car Mac couldn't help but smile. As she had reached him he put his left arm around her waist.

Heading to the entrance of the apartment-building Mac thought once more about the last few hours. After they had dinner at an Italian restaurant they had gone to see a movie - it had been nice to simply forget about this weird case he had on his hands.

He hadn't tried to make Peyton tell him what she tried to hide, knowing better than to push her...

"Mac?" Peyton's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Yeah?" He said and looked at her.

"You're okay? You seemed kinda lost..."

Hearing that Mac chuckled softly and replied :

"I was just thinking about how happy you're making me..."

Peyton's smile turned into a cheerful grin and she unlocked the door.

"You know, you're making me very happy as well."

Closing the front-door Mac drew Peyton closer and kissed her softly.

As they neared the door to her apartment Peyton wanted to know :

"So, what do you wanna do now?"

Mac couln't help chuckling at that. However, when they had reached the door and Peyton went to unlock it he got a hold of her hand and pointed at the door, which was slightly ajar.

"You wait here..." He said quietly and seeing Peyton nod he pushed the door further open and entered the apartment.

Watching Mac disappear in her apartment Peyton sighed. Waiting for Mac to return she couldn't help wondering who would have a reason to break into her apartment.

* * *

Taking a careful look around Mac couldn't help but frown. As far as he could tell - without turning the lights on - Peyton's apartment resembled a battlefield...

Heading into the direction of the bedroom he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Flack's number.

_"What's up, Mac?" _Flack answered the call almost immediately.

"Someone broke into Peyton's apartment..."

_"Is she okay?" _Flack wanted to know.

"Eh, yeah, we just returned from dinner when I noticed that the door was open...The burglar is already gone."

_"Well, I'll be right there..."_

"Thanks..." With that Mac hung up and called Stella and the rest of his team, while heading back to Peyton.

When he had reached Peyton, she gave him a questioning glance.

"The good news are - whoever broke in is gone by now. However, the bad news are your apartment is a complete mess..."

At that Peyton stepped around him and went into her apartment and after a few seconds he followed her.

* * *

Turning the lights on and taking a look around an angry frown appeared on Peyton's face.

Saying that her apartment was a mess had certainly been a total understatement...The carpet was almost completely covered by books, shattered picture frames and other stuff.

Entering the bedroom she saw basically all her clothes lying on the floor along with the bedspread and cushions. Drawers had been pulled open, rummaged in a hurry and had been left open.

Somehow she felt the urge to tidy up this entire mess right away, however, she knew that she couldn't do that yet, considering that this was a crime scene and Mac and his team would've to look for potential evidence first.

Releasing a heavy sigh she headed to the nightstand at the left side of the bed.

When she had reached the nightstand she crouched down to take a look into the drawer.

_Some time later :_

While going through some stuff in the living-room to see if something had been stolen Peyton was barely aware of how Mac went to talk with Flack, or how the CSIs arrived.

However, after a while Flack approached her to ask her some questions.

Eventually he wanted to know :

"Do you already know if something was stolen?"

"I honestly can't tell yet if something's missing...But what I know is that he didn't take any of my jewlery..." Peyton stated.

"Well, I seriously doubt that this was a normal burglary, after all, whoever did this turned the entire apartment upside down...Yet he left the silver-ware and all of these highend electronics untouched..." Stella started.

"He also didn't take the 3Ks cash from the purse I found in the kitchen..." Danny pointed out.

At that Flack and the CSIs gave her surpised looks, while Mac frowned and inquired :

"Why are you keeping that much cash at your apartment?"

Peyton shrugged slightly and sighed, then she replied :

"When I went shopping the other week I had some trouble with my credit card so I had to pay everything cash...I actually totally forgot that the money was still in the purse..."

Mac nodded, remaining quiet for a while, before speaking up again :

"Whoever broke in was looking for something particular...Do you have any idea what that could have been?"

"Nope." Peyton said slightly to fast in response and she could tell by the expression on Mac's face that he wasn't quite convinced by her answer, however, he didn't question her reply.

* * *

Eying Peyton suspiciously Mac forced himself to remain silent, even though he couldn't shake the feeling that she knew more than what she was telling them.

Something was certainly going on, even though he wasn't sure what it was or what Peyton was hiding from him.

After a while his team went back to searching for any sort of trace of the burglar and Flack went to question some of the neighbors.

When Flack returned Mac headed over to him and wanted to know :

"Did any of the neighbors see something?"

"No...But that's probably no surprise, after all, despite this entire chaos it seems like this guy proceeded extremely meticulous. And considering that he couldn't have known when Peyton and you would be back he had to hurry - to me this guy seems pretty much like a pro." Flack replied, causing Mac to nod slightly and frown.

Taking a look at Peyton Mac spoke up once more :

"Can you do me a favor and bring Peyton over to my place?"

"Sure..." Flack stated, and headed over to Peyton.

A moment after they had left Mac decided to focus on looking for evidence as well. It wasn't like he didn't trust his colleagues' ability to do their job, however, he wanted to know as fast as anyway possible who was responsible for this and if it had by any chance something to do with the murder of Aaron Carter...

Sure, it seemed quite unlikely, but on the other hand he didn't really believe in coincidences and therefore he had to at least consider that there could be a link between both incidents.


	5. More complications

_**A/N: Sorry, that it took so long, but I was kinda busy with other stories...Anyways, have fun reading!**_

**The ME and the Dead Archaeologist**

_5. More complications_

Being woken by the sound of her cell phone Peyton couldn't help but sigh exhausted. She had barely slept all night, considering that she had simply by far too much on her mind, so being woken at six in the morning was not exactly cheering her up.

However, she was on call, so there was not really anything she could do about it - and besides she certainly would prefer doing something useful instead of sitting around and having the time to think this much about the recent events.

After all, what had happened to Aaron made her sad and what had happened the passed night wasn't making it any easier.

Releasing another sigh she forced herself to get up and get ready for work.

_At the scene, forty minutes later :_

As Peyton got out of her car and neared the crime-scene-tape she was met by Angell.

"Hey Peyton, vic's over there..." Angell greeted her, and pointed in the direction where the body had been found, before continuing with filling her in while they were heading over to the vic,

"We think it was a robbery gone wrong, considering that we didn't find a wallet, cell phone or anything else that could help identifying him, furthermore it seems like he had been involved in a huge fight short before he died. Anyways, hopefully you will get a match with his DNA or fingerprints somewhere - 'cause we have no idea who this guy is, or well, was..."

When Angell trailed off Peyton nodded and crouched down next to the body to start with her first examination. After checking the man's liver temperature Peyton focused on taking a closer look at him. One thing was for sure whoever this guy was he had indeed been in a fight with sombody before he had been killed. There were several fresh scratches and numerous bruises and his nose and jaw were broken.

After some time Peyton straightened up and stated :

"He died early last night, maybe ten o'clock. His neck is snapped, probably that's also the COD, however, I'll wait with saying anything for certain 'til after the autopsy."

"Alright, let me know when ya done." Angell said and left.

A short moment later Lindsay showed up to get started with looking for evidence that could lead them to a suspect.

"Hey...How are you doin'?" Lindsay wanted to know when she had reached her.

Peyton couldn't help but sigh, then she replied :

"I'm okay, after all, I wasn't even at home during the burglary, so..."

Lindsay nodded and Peyton waited patiently that the young CSI got done with photographing the body, before giving the sign to get the body to the morgue.

_About fifty minutes later :_

When Peyton and her colleague arrived finally at the morgue, after being stuck in a traffic-jam for a felt eternity, she sighed heavily and watched how Cooper already got out of the van to head inside, while she chose to take her time, not really seeing a reason for rushing.

Opening the door on the passenger-side she took a deep breath and got out as well, her mind already drifting off to the autopsy she would perform in a few minutes.

However, only a moment later her mind was forced back to reality when someone grabbed her from behind and pushed her forcibly forward, causing her head to hit the hood of the van. While Peyton was still trying to process the situation the attacker demanded to know :

"Where is it?"

"Where is what?" Peyton forced herself to ask, trying hard to ignore the pain in her skull.

"I know he gave it to you, so where is it?"

"Where is what?" She repeated, and squeezed her eyes shut as she began feeling dizzy.

But instead of receiving an answer she felt something metallic pressing against her throat and the attacker hissed :

"Last chance, 'cause I ain't gonna ask another time - WHERE IS IT?"

Before Peyton could point out that she couldn't answer his question considering that she had no damn clue what this man was talking about she heard a door open and a moment later there was the sound of someone coming closer.

Apparently the attacker had heard the door and steps as well considering that he let go of her and hurried to run away.

Peyton wanted to turn around to find out who had attacked her, but before she could make a move her legs gave way underneath her as the dizziness became too overwhelming.

_Meanwhile :_

Danny couldn't help but sigh as he scanned yet another set of finger-prints from Peyton's apartment, while Stella was busy with some DNA and fiber samples. Hearing a beep another sigh escaped him and he focused his attention on the screen in front of him.

As his eyes caught sight of the name on the screen he couldn't help but frown and repeated the search process. A moment later his frown deepened and he stated :

"Stella, take a look at this..."

"You got a match?" Stella wanted to know and headed over to him, taking a look at the screen she frowned as well and inquired,

"You checked this?

They exchanged a look and Danny replied :

"Twice."

"Where did you find that print?" Stella asked after a moment of silence.

"Eh, on the light-switch in the bathroom." Danny said.

"And there's no way that the result might be wrong?" Stella wanted to know.

"Well, of course I can repeat the search process another few times, but I doubt that it would change anything about the result." Danny pointed out.

Stella only sighed and thought for a moment. Looking up she saw Mac in the hallway, apparently on the way to his office. Heading to the door Stella called :

"Hey Mac..."

Hearing Stella calling Mac stopped and turned to look at his colleague. Seeing her signalling him to come to her he frowned, but went to figure out what his colleague had found anyways.

"What did you find?" He inquired as he had reached her.

"A set of finger-prints Danny has lifted gave us a match - a match to your prints." Stella started, a trace of anger etched to her voice, then she demanded to know,

"Why didn't you tell us that you and Peyton are seeing each other?"

Mac couldn't help but frown, though he had to admit that it was a good and most definitely justified question. After all, at least in the back of his mind he had been well aware of the fact that they would find traces of him all over Peyton's apartment, but the truth was he wasn't quite sure why he hadn't mentioned it.

Taking a deep breath Mac replied :

"I know I should have told you right away, but I simply didn't think about it..."

Before either of them was able to say anything else Mac's cell phone started ringing and he hurried to answer the call.

"Taylor." He listened for a moment then he said,

"I'll be right there." With that he hung up and left in a hurry.

Watching Mac leave Stella and Danny exchanged a confused look, but eventually focused back on the task at hand.

_A short time later in the parking-lot :_

Stepping out of the door Mac took a quick look around, almost immediately catching sight of Peyton sitting on the ground a few feet away from the door.

Nearing Peyton he watched how Hawkes treated the laceration on her forehead, simply ignoring Peyton's weak protests. As he had reached them Hawkes was busy checking her pupils and Mac asked :

"Any serious injuries?"

Before Hawkes was able to reply Peyton stated firmly :

"Like I already said before - I'm fine!"

"No, you're not, you have a concussion and were unconscious when I came out here." Hawkes pointed out, then he said,

"Lift your head a bit more so I can take a look at that cut on your throat."

Peyton rolled with her eyes but did as she had been told as she saw the worried look on Mac's face. After Hawkes had disinfected the small cut Mac suggested :

"Listen Peyton, why don't we go inside, get some coffee and you tell me what exactly happened?"

"I got work to do, Mac." Peyton said and gave him a look.

"I'm quite sure that the body can wait another half hour for being examined." Mac told her, causing her to frown.

Taking a deep breath Peyton mumbled :

"Fine...Though there's really not that much to say about what happened."

"Well, we'll see if there's really not much to say about it." Mac replied, before focusing his attention on Hawkes and instructing,

"Bring the body inside and get Lindsay down here to help you look for traces of the attacker."

Seeing Hawkes nod Mac signalled Peyton to follow him inside, while pulling out his cell phone to call Flack.

_Tbc_

_**A/N: Hope you liked the new chapter! The next one will be up soon as well, in the meantime please take the time to REVIEW!**_


End file.
